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Living Archive
Defenders.
An open record of human rights defenders across the Middle East and North Africa. Every entry is a case file — dated, sourced, and kept current.
173
Records on
the open archive
87
Currently held
detained · sentenced · on trial
57
In exile or under
transnational repression
11
In memoriam
killed for their work
The Record
Currently held
HM-EG-2024-002
On trial
Yousef Eldaly
Yousef Eldaly was arrested at 19 on his way to buy snacks for a family film night. He spent two months disappeared,…
Day 796 · since 2024-04-01
HM-EG-2018-003
Imprisoned
Tarek Al-Selkawi
Tarek Al-Selkawi is a human rights lawyer who defended detainees and pressed for legal reform. Arrested in 2018, he was tortured in…
Day 2,774 · since 2018-11-01
HM-SA-2018-001
Imprisoned
Abdulrahman Al-Sadhan
Saudi Red Crescent aid worker forcibly disappeared in March 2018 over an anonymous satirical Twitter account. Sentenced to 20 years in prison…
Day 3,008 · since 2018-03-12
HM-EG-2020-004
Detained
Sayed Said Khalaf
Sayed Said Khalaf defended families of detainees and advocated for elderly and sick prisoners. He has been held in pretrial detention since…
Day 2,083 · since 2020-09-22
HM-EG-2017-002
Detained
Ahmed Abdelsattar Amasha
Ahmed Abdelsattar Amasha is a lawyer, trade unionist, and environmental defender who documented enforced disappearances and torture in Egypt. He was disappeared…
Medical urgency
Day 3,375 · since 2017-03-10
HM-EG-2020-005
Detained
Ahmed Hamdy Abou Zeid Al-Tanoubi
Ahmed Hamdy Abou Zeid Al-Tanoubi is a journalist, trade unionist, and researcher at the Arab Observatory for Media Freedom who has spent…
Day 2,265 · since 2020-03-24
HM-EG-2022-001
Detained
Ahmed Nazir El-Helw
Ahmed Nazir El-Helw is an Egyptian lawyer who has spent much of his career defending political prisoners and advocating for the rule…
Medical urgency
Day 1,310 · since 2022-11-04
HM-DZ-2024-003
On trial
Sofiane Ouali
Sofiane Ouali is an Algerian lawyer who defends prisoners of conscience and those prosecuted for exercising their fundamental rights. He met with…
Day 696 · since 2024-07-10
HM-SA-2017-001
Imprisoned
Abdulaziz Al-Shubaili
Abdulaziz Al-Shubaili is a lawyer and founding member of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association who defended fellow activists in court…
Day 3,184 · since 2017-09-17
HM-SA-2017-002
Imprisoned
Mohammed Al-Otaibi
Mohammed Al-Otaibi co-founded the Union for Human Rights in Riyadh. He fled to Qatar in 2017 to escape prosecution and was deported…
Hunger strike
Day 3,300 · since 2017-05-24
HM-XX-2026-001
Imprisoned
Dr. Nasser bin Ghaith
An Emirati economist who taught at the Sorbonne's Abu Dhabi campus, Nasser bin Ghaith now serves overlapping sentences totalling 25 years for…
Hunger strike
Day 3,945 · since 2015-08-18
HM-XX-2026-002
Imprisoned
Mahmood Al-Hosani
Emirati journalist arrested in 2012 for signing a reform petition. Sentenced to seven years, then held indefinitely after his term ended. Retried…
Day 5,073 · since 2012-07-16